‘I’m proud of the group’ – Manchester City’s interim boss Cushing sees positives despite UWCL exit | OneFootball

Manchester City’s interim head coach Nick Cushing said that he was proud of his side despite falling to a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals.

The Cityzens went into last night’s second leg at Stamford Bridge two goals to the good but they were beaten 3-0 on the night by a relentless Chelsea side.

When speaking to the media after the match, Manchester City’s interim boss Cushing expressed both disappointment and pride in his team’s performance.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t progress, but immensely proud of the group,” Cushing said. “Hugely positive in the commitment, desire and determination of a team that has had a lot of stress, a lot of strain and a lot of games against a top team over the last two weeks. To be in the game and pushing it until the end and still believing shows me the character this group has.”

Cushing commented on the team’s resilience throughout their demanding period of matches, praising their determination and character as they challenged Chelsea in each match.

He said “It is the ultimate test when you play the best team; the most consistent, in-form team. It shows you where you’re at. I’m proud of the group. We’ve shown that the togetherness, the fight, the spirit and the determination is there. We’ve caused Chelsea real problems in all four games.

“We’ve lost on moments. I think arguably the last 20 minutes of the league tie was probably the most one-sided part of the four games. With so much stress on the group, to still be in it and pushing it for me shows the character this group has. I’m proud of the group.

“The one thing that I always want from my teams is to show the real fight, determination and belief and you can see that there; the team pushed that game right until the end.”

Manchester City are still competing for an FA Cup final and UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification for next season and Cushing reiterated the fact that there’s plenty left to play for.

He said “We know what we’ve got to play for. Now, we have to play for an FA Cup final against Manchester United. We’ve got to play for the Champions League place and chase down Manchester United and Arsenal, starting with Brighton on Sunday.

“There’s clarity on what we have to achieve. We now have to find the solutions to make sure we’re competitive in all of those games.”

Manchester City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion kicks-off at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.